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Thursday, 24 September 2015

One year ago I played for the last time in Leicester, the city in which I now live, but spend hardly any of my time, so be the schedule of a full-time independent touring musician ! 300 shows, yeah, that's right over 300(!) and 4 top 40 releases on Peace, Love & Tea Records ... nowhere near minimum wage for the hours I put in, but mentally, physically and spiritually enriched from the journey ... and who need money anyway ?!

"Your Love is Lifting Me Higher & Higher", so I sing with the De Montfort University Pentecostal Gospel Choir, EAGA boys and girls, brothers and sisters, I love them so. And the words are true, I wouldn't be able to do anything I do if it wasn't for you, and I'm grateful for that. So extremely grateful.

I love singing these songs, I only sings songs that I like, otherwise, what is the point ? Keep listening, keep spreading the love, and keep it real, so real, look, feel and touch. #BeliefIsAll

Wednesday, 23 September 2015

Perhaps the first real poet I've recommended, and I don't mean to cause any offence to all the songwriters I've treated you all to, but this is straight up poetry. Words arranged so wonderful that they'll cause emotions in abundance.

You'll laugh for certain, you might just cry. With a finger on the pulse and an ear for the truth, Hib Word makes poetry and prose esoteric and accessible all at once.

Jenny will be bringing shades of her chaos and creation via 'House Of Verse' to my homecoming show in Leicester on Saturday 3rd October ... in all honesty I'd love to take her on the road as my travelling compere and companion.

Tuesday, 22 September 2015

I Love Amii Dawes. Quite simply one of the best songwriters I've had the pleasure of playing with in this last year of touring.

In fact, the only person I've played with that has written a song that I genuinely wish I'd written, or feel like it is a song I should have written, but someone else got there first !!

'Tiny Little English Town' is about her native Northampton could be about any little town, village or small city in England. The imagery, the poetry, the melody is magnificent. When I first heard her sing the couplet "this Tiny Little English Town, where even in our dreams we're wearing hand-me-downs" I nearly cried.

Last month Amii released an EP and an album, and even though my favourite song isn't on either, this highlights her prolific nature as a songwriter, and a singer after my own heart; write lots of songs, do lots of gigs, and if you're gonna play someone else's music it's gonna have to be a Beatles song or an old soul number, otherwise what's the point? And who cares if no-one else likes that kind of thing ... but let's be honest, who doesn't like John Lennon or Smokey Robinson? Poor Misguided Fools ...

Go out and watch Amii play live, buy her CDs and hopefully her 'Little Blue Book' of songs will stay with you like they have me and she'll keep writing for years to come. I'm excited at the prospect.